China and the Trump administration are reportedly working on details of a massive deal involving the sale of hundreds of Boeing jets to China as part of their trade policy and tariff negotiations.
Bloomberg first reported on the deal, which Boeing has not commented on. Sources have indicated that as many as 500 jets may be involved in the sale, which would easily be valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
What is unknown is the potential trade concessions the Chinese – or even President Donald Trump – may be willing to make to close the deal.
China suspended deliveries of Boeing jets in April in retaliation for Trump's trade policies, including new tariffs. But that was a short-lived situation, and China lifted the block in May.
In May, Qatar signed a deal with Boeing, after the blessing of Trump, for 160 jets in a package priced at about $200 billion.
Boeing reported delivering 60 new aircraft to buyers in June, including eight to China, marking one of its best months of business activity in several years.
On Aug. 12, Trump announced a 90-day pause on potential new and higher tariffs on China, pushing the cutoff date out to Nov. 10. As a result, both countries backed off some very high tariff levels – as high as 145% against China and 125% against the U.S. – down to more manageable levels of 30% and 10%, respectively.
On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the "status quo is working pretty well" regarding the China trade talks but offered no details about the specifics of the discussions.
In its latest Commercial Market Outlook, Boeing projected the need for 43,600 new aircraft to meet global demand through 2045. That projection included expectations of growing fleets in the U.S., China, and Eurasia.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.